News in brief - Dec. 15, 2008

Tort reform advocates talk health courts

Proponents of health courts continue to debate alternatives to the current medical liability system.

The organizations Common Good and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in November hosted their fifth national forum on the health courts concept, which would allow specialized judges to preside over medical liability disputes. The forum came on the heels of the release of an extensive health reform plan by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D, Mont.) that includes a proposal to provide states with grant money to test the health court model.

The forum featured discussions on the potential cost of health courts, administration compensation and voluntary dispute resolution.

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Health is 8th-most-reported topic

A study of media coverage from January 2007 through June 2008 found that health care stories accounted for 3.6% of all reports, making it the eighth-most-covered issue. The results are based on the coverage of 48 news outlets, including small- to large-market newspapers, network and cable TV news programs, talk radio, and online news.

News outlets more frequently covered campaigns and elections (21.3% of all reports), U.S. foreign affairs (13.6%), foreign news (11%), crime (6.6%), government and legislatures (5.3%), the economy (5%), and disasters and accidents (4.2%). The analysis, by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, also found that network news shows were the most likely to offer health care stories -- 8.3% of their pieces focused on health care, with an emphasis on specific ailments, such as heart disease or cancer.

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